


Changes Happen

by BeckKingOfHell



Series: Changes Happen [1]
Category: Voltron - Fandom
Genre: Altean Lance (Voltron), Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Plant Witch Pidge, Rowan Shiro, healer hunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-03-31 18:23:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13980804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeckKingOfHell/pseuds/BeckKingOfHell
Summary: Suddenly every human member of Voltron slowly get alien characteristics, some are subtle and others cause extreme amount of pain.





	1. Chapter 1

Lance stared in the mirror, fingers brushing against the dark blue forming under his eyes. Everyday, they became more noticeable, their texture slowly changing to something like scales on a snake. 

He ran a hand through his hair, scanning the roots. They were slowly turning into a golden white, if that was even a color. 

“Am I turning Altean?” He breathed, eyes locked on his reflection.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Shiro woke up, feeling the regular soreness in his shoulder blades. It started when they first formed Voltron, just a regular ache that was ignorable.

But now, Shiro had a hard time moving. Pain would flare up like fire, making him feel like his back was ablazed.

“I need to talk to Coran about this.”

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Keith absolutely hated life. His lower back/tailbone was in a constant state of agony. Before he joined the Blades, he didn’t have pain like this. However, once he awoken his blade, he noticed a dull throbbing there. Normally he wouldn’t even notice that it was there.

However, as the days went on, the pain steadily grew. He was beginning to think that perhaps it was a tumor of some sort because he noticed a growth there. Not to mention he kept losing his balance.

“I can’t hide this anymore.” Keith whispered to no one.

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

When Shiro went to Coran about the pain by his shoulder blades, Coran took a body scan to help figure out what was going on

After studying the scan, Coran turned to Shiro.

“It appears that there’s an extra growth of bone. It’s slow and steady, there is definitely some extra bone growing. Let me take a look at your back.”

Shiro turned around, slipping his shirt off. He felt Coran’s hands poking around his sore back, wincing when Coran put pressure around his shoulder blades.

“They’re poking out now. I don’t know what’s causing it. I’ve never seen this before…. Unless.” Coran walked towards the podium pushing a button that raised a bookshelf to the left of him. He squatted, scanning the titles of the books. Finally grabbing what he needed, he walked back over to Shiro, flipping through pages.

“I didn’t know you guys had books on this ship.”

“They’re rare, especially since we had everything saved on the ship. But there are somethings you need incase the ship is down. Knowledge of medicine and healing is one. Ah, here we are.”

He handed Shiro the dusty book, pointing to an illustration of a man with wings. “There was this planet that had beings with wings. Of course, they were born with it, but I do remember a friend of mine being a hybrid of Rowan  and Altean. He wasn’t born with his wings, but they grew as he got older. I remember feeling hopeless as I saw the bones poking through his skin. It was a bloody and painful process, but after a few ah… months?” He looked at Shiro who gave him a short nod. “They finally came in and he no longer was in pain.”

Shiro gazed at the picture. “That doesn’t explain why I might be growing wings. I’m human.”

“I can take a blood scan if you’d like. You may have some Rowan  blood in you. I’ll grab you something for the pain.”

The Black Paladin thanked him and continued to look through the book. 

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  

“Coran!” Lance yelled as he entered the med bay. “I think I’m turning Altean and I’m freaking out!”

Coran looked up from his shelf of books. “Well, you have been looking more and more Altean.” He stood up, “I can do a blood scan for you too, if you’d like.”

“Too?” Lance questioned.

“Ah, yes. Shiro has been having some upper back pains, which I think may be some growing wings from a long forgotten planet.”

“Shiro has wings?”

“He’s growing his wings, yes.”

“How is that possible?”

“He has some Rowan blood in him, it’s a small percentage, but it’s there.” Coran grabbed a book and handed it to Lance. “This is a medical book about natural remedies. Hopefully we can find some herbs that will help Shiro with the pain.”

“Okay, but what about me?” Lance blankly asked.

Coran grabbed a hand held device and a blue light scanned Lance. “Blood scan done. It will take a few ticks though.”

Lance flipped through the book, looking at different plants and what they could do. He found a description of a seed that could relieve pain. It had to be crushed and mixed with water to make a paste that could be spreaded on the affected area. 

“Maybe this seed could help Shiro.” Lance held the book up and pointed at the picture. “It says to crush it and mix it with water to make a paste that can take away the pain.”

Coran grabbed the book and studied it more. “It says that this could be found on the planet Fyel.” He looked up at Lance. “How can you read this, it’s in Altean?”

Lance shrugged. “Pidge taught me. I know another language too on my planet, so learning another one wasn’t difficult. I just have difficulties speaking it.”

He nodded. “Well, the scan says you have two percent of Altean blood in you. That’s lower than Shiro’s percent of Rowan. Perhaps I can send Hunk and Pidge to gather the seeds and you can help Shiro read the book I gave him about the Rowans?”

“Sounds good.” Lance turned around and walked out, leaving Coran behind to study the medical book. 

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

It was not Keith’s day.

He kept bumping into people, walls, doorways, and tripping over air. Not to mention that he was coming down with a fever.

“Hey, Kolivan.” Keith pulled the leader aside after their training exercises were done.

“Yes?”

“I think something is wrong with me. I have this er, growth, on my tailbone, and it’s painful and I keep losing my balance.”

Kolivan nodded. “Do you feel sick?”

“Yeah, I think I’m coming down with a cold of some sort.”

The leader began walking out towards the bridge. “Are your nails thickening, and has your hearing gotten better?”

Keith kept up the brisk walk. “Now that you mention it, yeah.” They entered the bridge and Kolivan set up a video message to Voltron.

Allura’s face appeared looking rather grave. “Is there something wrong?”

“No, Princess.” Kolivan gave a small bow. “But I believe Keith is getting his Galran characteristics.”

“Wait, what?” Keith looked at him.

She groaned. “Him too?”

Keith and Kolivan gave her a confused look.

“You see, some of the paladins have been slowly getting alien characteristics. Shiro is currently in his room with an extremely high fever due to his wings coming in. And Lance has been looking more and more Altean.”

“Would it be asking for too much if we send Keith over? I’d rather not have to worry about him when we go out on our next mission.”

“We can take him, yes.”

“He’ll be over in half a verga.”

The video feed cut out, leaving Keith and Kolivan alone.

“I’m turning Galra?” Keith raised his eyebrow.

“I believe so, yes. It’s not my first time seeing another being get their Galra traits. It’s normal for a hybrid to slowly changed into them as they grow older.” Kolivan tried to give Keith a smile. “Do not worry about it. You’ll be fine.”

Keith was worried. The pain was intense and getting close to unbearable. It took all he had to not bend over and collapse on the floor in agony.

Kolivan lead the way out, motioning for Keith to follow. “I think you’re growing a tail, which would explain the strange growth and pain, along with your sudden balance issues. A tail should fix that, but until then, it’s best if you were in a comfortable place surrounded by friends and family.”

Keith only nodded, doing his best not to fall over.


	2. Chapter 2

Shiro didn't want to move. He didn't care if he was squishing his bladder, he'd rather wet the bed than stand up.

“Shiro?”

The black paladin looked up to see Lance standing by the door. He flopped his head back down. “Yes?”

“Are you okay?” Lance sat down on the bed.

“I'm great. Haven't felt this good in a long time.”

“Shiro, you're bleeding.”

He lifted his head, ignoring the pain. “I am?”

Lance nodded. “Yeah. Its small though. You should get in a pod.

Shiro sat up, not feeling well. He slipped off his shirt and asked Lance to look at it.

His shoulder blades were red and angry, some spots bleeding. On further inspection Lance noticed that small bones were poking out.

“Are these supposed to be your wings coming in?” He asked, worry thick in his voice.

Shiro swallowed back his nausea. “I guess? I can't read the book Coran gave me. I’m just guessing by the pictures.”

Lance scanned the bed, spotting the book. He reached over and grabbed and flipped it open. “Do you know what page?”

Shiro took the book in his hands and flipped pages until it was almost halfway through the book. He handed it back to Lance.

“It says that it takes a couple of months for your wings to grow in.” The Cuban scanned the pages. “Once it breaks through the skin, the transformation will speed up.” He flipped the page. “It should be done in about a week. It also has information on wing color and how to fly, if you want me to read those too.”

Shiro laid back down, his shoulders screaming in protest. “Great. Does it say anything about pain?”

“Oh, yeah, you’ll have tons of it and you need to clean the open wounds so they don’t get infected, otherwise you’ll get a bad fever that may kill you.”

“I meant, is there anything to rid of it?”

Lance looked back through the book. “It says it can be relieved but regular methods.”

Shiro could feel bile rising up. “Trash can, quickly.”

Lance shoved a small pink trash can in Shiro’s lap who immediately vomited into it. The boy took another look at the extra bones poking out and saw that the skin was slowly turning yellow. “Shiro, we need to get you to Coran.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is a short one. I graduate next month and I'm 1.5 credits behind, so I'm more focused on that instead of this.  
> Anyway, let me know your thoughts on this! I read every comment and take them to heart, seriously, I love it when you guys comment.  
> This takes place before the video call Kolivan made to Allura, just so you all know. Hopefully Shiro will be alright.


	3. Chapter 3

Lance was having a difficult time getting Shiro to the med bay. The guy had the weight of a hippo. “Shiro, are you all muscle?”

The leader wheezed, “I have some fat.”

“How’s your back?” Lance felt Shiro’s weight shift to where Lance could barely walk. “Shiro?” He glanced over and saw that their leader was passed out. “Oh no. CORAN!” Lance yelled, desperation filling his veins. He struggled to move forward, Shiro’s weight making it difficult. “HELP! ANYONE!” He screamed.

He stopped and set Shiro down. He decided that it was probably best to drag him rather than carry him. He sent a silent apology as he lifted the man up from the shoulders and slowly dragged him through the halls.

“Lance, I heard yelling, are you okay?” Allura ran from behind Lance, stopping short once she saw Shiro.

Lance felt like he was looking at god. “Allura! I need your help getting him to the med bay. He passed out from what I think is an infection from his wing bones.”

“His what?” The Altean scooped the man up with no effort and began a brisk walk to the med bay.

“He’s getting his wings, he has Rowan blood in him.”

“And you have Altean blood in you.” She noted his marks.

Lance touched them. “Yeah. I don’t know why it’s showing though.”

She turned the corner, her walk getting faster. “Pidge came to me a few ah… days?”

Lance nodded.

“A few days ago, about being able to control plants. She showed me and it reminded me of the Elmeons back on Elmelinion. They could control the basic earth elements. Coran did a blood scan and she has eleven percent Elmeon in her.”

“What about Hunk? Anything alien in him?” Lance had to jog to keep up.

She shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of. But you with your Altean blood, Pidge with her Elmeon blood, and now Shiro with his Rowan blood, makes me think that perhaps the Lions have something to do with it. Perhaps the Lions woke up the alien blood in you all.”

They turned another and the med bay was in sight. 

“What about Keith? He’s part Galra. Is something going to happen to him?”

“We’ll find out.” She sighed and walked in the med bay. Coran gave them a smile but it melted when he saw Shiro.

“Lay him down.” He pushed a medical table over to Allura. “I need to take a look at his back.”

Coran poked a few areas, and puss oozed out. “This is not good. Allura, do a body scan, Lance, I'll need your help making a balm.”

Lance nodded and got working, gathering the things they needed. 

“It shows the infection is currently just on the skin, but it's quickly spreading to his bones.” Allura looked up from the scanner. “Coran, what does that mean?”

Coran, disinfected the yellow areas. “It means it'll rot his bones. Basically starting from the inside out. Lance, how's the balm coming along?”

“I can't find the grasins seeds.”

“Should be in the top cupboard on your left.”

“Got it.”

“Allura.” Coran turned towards her. “I need you to grab some rags and soak them in cold water. The faster we can cool him the faster we can put him in a pod.” He turned to Lance. “Is the balm ready now?”

“Yes.” Lance set it on the table and together they applied it over the affect areas.

 

Soon, Shiro was back in his room, fever still high. Coran put Lance in charge of taking care of their leader, while Pidge  and Hunk went off to Fyel to find the goleenian seeds for Shiro’s pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To avoid doing government homework, I did this instead. Enjoy, and as always, let me know your thoughts on this!


	4. Chapter 4

Keith couldn't pilot his way to the castle ship. He couldn't even sit down, much less stand. So the only option for him was to lay down on his tummy, pride in shreds.

“You okay, little one?” Asked a fellow Blade as she piloted Keith to the castle.

“I told you not to call me that.” Keith spat.

The girl rolled her eyes. “You'll be fine. Once the bone breaks through, it should be easier on you. Though I would avoid sitting until it grows fur.”

A groan escape Keith. “I won’t be growing furry ears too, will I?”

“No. Typically hybrids only get one trait, whether it’s the skin, ears, or tail, in your case.”

He groaned again.

 

Once they made it inside the castle, Allura and Coran helped Keith out.

Coran frowned. “Keith, you’re running a bit of a fever. Let’s get you to your room so you can lay down.” He waved at the Blade member to say goodbye and turned around, hauling Keith away.

Keith took noticed that the halls were empty and the castle quiet. “Where is everyone?”

Allura sighed. “In pain, or on missions. Shiro has a high fever due to an infection in his new wing bones, and Lance is taking care of him. Pidge and Hunk are out looking for goleenian seeds for his pain.”

Keith nodded. He felt tired regardless of pain. “When did all the alien things start?”

“I honestly don't know. Lance's was the most noticeable. At first it just looked like dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep but they got darker and more define. Now he has full Altean marks. His hair is also turning a faded gold. Pidge came to me a few days ago about her ability to control and make plants grow. Shiro has been complaining about shoulder pains for ah….” She paused. “What's the earth term that's longer than a day? It's a group of days together.”

“Weeks or months.”

“I believe it's weeks because those group together for a month.”

Keith smiled. He and the crew have been trying to get Coran and Allura to use earth terms to make them feel more at home. Seems like they finally understand but have a hard time remembering what word goes with what.

Allura continued, “He's been complaining about shoulder pains for weeks now. And now you. How long have you felt this pain?”

Keith groaned. All he wanted to do was curl up or hack his spine off. “A couple of months.”

Allura was deep in thought when they reached Keith's room. She helped him get more comfortable and told him that if he needed anything to call on Lance or Coran.

Keith just curled into a ball and laid on his bed, ignoring his stomach growling at him. The pain was slowly getting to unbearable and he wasn't sure of how much he could take. He was also feeling cold and he didn’t want to get up to grab more blankets from the storage closet down the hall. 

He poked his wrist communicator and called Lance.

Lance's worried face popped up. Keith's eyes widened at the sudden dark blue Altean marks. He glanced at his hair and saw that the roots were a soft wheat color.

“Keith, things alright?” Lance asked.

“Mostly.” His teeth chattered. “I’m feeling cold and my hips hurt a lot. I also think my stomach is angry at me.”

Lance nodded, his eyes tired. “I’ll be right over with some blankets and food. Pidge and Hunk should be back soon with the pain killers.” His face blinked off and Keith was left alone once more.

A few minutes later Lance walked into Keith’s room, one arm full of thick blankets and the other had a plate of food goo. He pushed a button on the wall by Keith’s bed and a little table top slid out. He set the food goo down on that and then placed the blankets on the floor.

“How are you feeling?” Lance asked.

“Like I’ve been hit by a robobeast.”

Lance gave a small chuckle. “I’m sorry.” He unfolded a blanket and pulled it over Keith’s curled up body. 

When Keith felt a hand on his forehead, he freaked out for a few seconds. “What are you doing?” He moved Lance’s hand away from his face.

“Checking your temperature. Coran said you were running a small fever.” He sat on the bed, careful not to sit on the other boy’s feet. “I’m just making sure your’s isn’t as bad a Shiro’s.”

The pain flared up for a second and Keith closed his eyes. “How bad is Shiro?”

“He has a high fever due to an infection. Hopefully the fever breaks soon and we can get him into a pod. He’s asleep right now, and he is cooling down.”

“How are  _ you _ doing?”

Lance blinked. “I’m not in pain like you guys. So I’m okay.”

Keith pointed to Lance’s hair. “You look old.”

The boy smacked Keith who was laughing. “Hey, I rock this look!”

“Seriously though how are you doing?” Keith asked again.

Lance looked away. “I feel weird. My marks feel like scales, my beautiful hair is turning into a golden white. No one is really concern about me, like how they are about you guys. But you’re all in pain, so it makes sense.”

“Doesn’t mean you’re not in any kind of pain.”

“I know. But you guys have it worse. Mine is just hair and marks. Yours is a transformation that makes you guys bleed and have fevers.”

Keith rested a hand on Lance’s knee. Lance looked over to him. “It’s okay if you’re not okay. This is pretty scary. It’s alright, Lance. You may not be in pain like us, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not afraid like us.”

Lance sighed. “I am afraid.” His eyes watered. “What if… when we get back home, you know? And they want to do tests on me and cut me open and treat me like an animal. I’m terrified of going home now. And I don’t even want to think about all the stares I’ll get because of my markings.” He shook his head. “I just feel  _ weird. _ Like I’m not myself.”

“Like you’re an alien?” Keith gave him a soft smile.

Lance returned it. “Yeah. Like I’m an alien.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the mistakes. I just found out my 3 year old nephew has cancer. So updates will be slower and chapters may be shorter.  
> So I tried to give you guys some Lance and Keith bonding to make up for the slowness of the future updates. Hope you guys enjoy, and as always, leave me a comment down below! I look forward to them and they keep me going! They also make my day a bit brighter and cheer me up. I love to hear your guys excitement and ideas of what's going to happen next.


	5. Chapter 5

“Hunk, have you found it yet?” Pidge asked over the coms.

“No. You said it had purple leaves?”

“Plum. But it's a shade of purple, so you're close.” She cut down the tall grass in front of her. “Remember, the seeds are in the cactus looking flower.”

“Pidge, everything on my side looks like a cactus.”

“Are they purple?”

“I don't know, I would say more of a pink than purple.”

She rolled her eyes. “I'm coming over.”

 

“You have got to be kidding me.” Pinks and purples dotted the land in front of Pidge. Every plant looked like a cactus, just like Hunk said.

“I wish. What did the plant look like again?”

She pulled up the image. The plant was a plum color, ball cactus, with pointy orange leaves.

“This is going to take forever.” Hunk sighed.

“Maybe not.” Pidge squatted, her hand flat on the ground. She closed her eyes to concentrate on the image in her head. She could feel every root, vine, and seed within the area. She concentrated harder.

_ Plum ball cactus, with bright orange leaves.  _

Soon she could feel the plant life humming as she zeroed in on it. It's aura was a bright magenta.

She smiled. “Found you.” She opened her eyes and stood up. She pointed west. “It's over there by the big tree.”

Hunk blinked at her. “Is that some sort of Green lion thing?”

“I don't know. It happened a few months ago where I found a tiny sprout in my knee.” They walked over. “It freaked me out so I pulled it off. Then it would just occasionally happen here and there. I told Allura a few days ago. I have a small percentage of Elmeon in me. It's an alien race that controls the basic elements. Plant life is pretty common among them.”

They neared the big tree. “So, you're going through the same things Lance, Shiro, and Keith are?”

“Yes.”

“Sweet.”

Together they found the plant and dug it up. Carefully moving it to a container so they could take it back to the ship. Once they got that done, they flew back, hoping that Shiro and Keith weren’t in too much pain.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Very short chapter. I can't really write right now and quite frankly I probably won't be able to put on updates as much as I'd like. I will be going on a little hiatus. Apologies. My family is planning a trip to go see my nephew pretty soon, and I need to finish school before then. Anyways, if you'd like to help out my brother and his family, you can donate here.  
> https://www.gofundme.com/cfpvf-dakota  
> Anything will help, I know most of you are broke, but even a cent will help my brother's family. 
> 
> Well, you guys have a little insight on what Elmeons can do ;) Let me know your thoughts down in the comments, and if you have any ideas, PLEASE don't be afraid to put them down. I could really use them right now.


	6. Chapter 6

“Lance.” Shiro murmured. “It’s too cold.”

Lance wiped away the sweat building up on Shiro’s forehead. “I’m sorry but you’re still burning up. Honestly, you should undress so your body temperature goes down.”

“Cold.” He muttered again, this time his eyes opened to look at Lance. 

“I know.” Lance said defeatedly. 

Suddenly the door slid open and Hunk walked in with a bowl in his hands. “Coran told me to give you this.”

“Is that the painkiller?” He stood.

Hunk nodded.

Lance motioned for his friend to help him roll Shiro over to his back so they could apply the paste. Once that was done they realized how bad the infection actually was. 

Hunk turned away to throw up in the small trash can, while Lance stood there horrified.

“Get Coran.” He whispered. “Tell him that the infection has spread.” Lance stared at the poor leader’s back. The skin was red and raw, blisters of yellow puss dotted the area, and his shoulder blades could be seen poking out a bit. 

 

“Oh dear.” Coran set down the body scanner. 

“Oh dear? Coran what’s going on?” Hunk asked, worry thick in his voice.

“The infection is in his bloodstream now. But his fever is still too high to be put in a pod. I don’t know what to do.” He sighed and looked at the two boys dejectly. “I’m sorry.”

“No, nonono, Shiro is our leader, the head of Voltron. He needs to get better.” Lance argued.

Coran nodded. “I will do my best to find an answer in the books we have. But I can’t guarantee anything.” He grabbed the book he gave to Shiro and left the room.

“Is Lance in there?”

“Yes.”

The door slid open and Pidge held out a bowl towards Lance. “Keith needs this to put on him, but I can’t do it considering the place.”

Lance sighed. “Yeah, I’ll do it. Keep an eye on Shiro, Hunk.” He grabbed the bowl on his way out. He was reluctant to do so, but Keith needed the help. 

“I’m so freaking tired.” Lance said to no one as he rubbed his eyes. He’s been trapped between Keith and Shiro, helping out when Coran needed him to. 

He felt like a dog, obeying orders nonstop. All he wanted to do was curl up and cry. His entire appearance was changing and there was nothing he could do about it. He didn’t want people to see the markings. He was crestfallen about his brown hair turning into a soft wheat, and wanted nothing more than to dye it back. 

But it wasn’t painful changes, so he suffered through it. After all, no one cared about Lance. Not when he was put into the pods, not when he got homesick. He was just, there. A seventh wheel that doesn’t have anything special.

When he got to Keith’s room he didn’t even knock. “Keith, Pidge sent me.” He told the lump under the covers.

The lump groaned. “She couldn’t send Coran?”

“It’s just your tailbone, it’s not your privates.” He sighed. 

Keith poked his head out. “Yeah, but your my friend. It’s awkward.”

“Only if you make it. Now take off your pants-leave the underwear-” Lance added once he saw Keith’s face pale. “-and I’ll keep the blanket over your legs and ass.”

Keith grumbled but did what he was told. Once he was on his tummy Lance sat down and pulled the boxers down, enough to see the uncomfortable bulge where Keith’s tail was growing in. He gently applied the paste over the red bump and covered it back up.

“Done. It should take effect in roughly twenty minutes.”

Keith said his thanks and Lance left him alone.

Back in the empty halls, Lance couldn’t help but let his mind wonder. 

_ Will my mother even recognize me? At least Shiro and Keith still look the same, they’re just getting extra appendages. But me? _

He looked down at his hands. 

_ I don’t even look human anymore.  _

He shook his head, blinking away the tears building up in his eyes.

_ But I’m not in pain. I’m not in life or death like Shiro. I should stop thinking about myself, I need to stop being so selfish.  _

“Lance?”

He looked up and saw Allura in front of him.

“Why are you crying?” She asked, concern in her voice.

Lance wiped his face.  _ Oh.  _ “I’m just worried about Shiro. That’s all.” He lied. His heart beated painfully in his chest. He just wanted to be left alone so he could break down. He was tired mentally and physically, and he was close to losing it. 

“He’s tough. He survived the Galrans, he can survive this.”

Lance only nodded. 

“Coran wants you to help him find something for Shiro’s infection.” She added.

He held back a sob.  _ I just want to sleep. Everything is happening too quickly and I just-  _ “I’ll be right over.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a while. Sorry about the long wait guys. I didn't get any comments on the last chapter so I kinda... lost motivation. And good news! My nephew is doing okay. He has passed two out of three test of the cancer in his spinal fluid. We're just waiting on the next one to see if it's clear in that area.  
> Here's some langst. Enjoy, and as always, leave me a comment down below and tell me what you think so far. Seriously, I may just scrap this whole thing if this chapter ends up with no comments like the last.


	7. Chapter 7

“So, you control plants, Lance looks Altean, Keith is growing a tail, and Shiro is growing wings.” Hunk summarized to an unamused Pidge. 

“Yeah.”

“So, I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

He turned around and pulled his shirt up to reveal markings that go up and down his spine. It was a mix of black swirls and dots. “Is this alien too?”

“Hunk!” Pidge inspected the markings. “When did this happen?”

He covered himself back up. “After we formed Voltron for the first time. I just thought it was a regular paladin thing, but now that everyone is changing I thought that maybe it wasn’t normal.” He scratched his head. 

“We need to get you to Coran, stat!” She pulled Hunk by the arm.

“But what about Shiro?!”

“Lance can cover for us!” They exited the room and headed towards the med bay.  Hunk just followed his eager teammate. 

“Coran!” Pidge startled Lance, who’s back was turned to her and dropped a book. “Sorry. Coran, Coran, Hunk is alien too!”

The poor ginger looked like he wanted to die. “Please tell me it doesn’t affect him like Keith’s and Shiro’s.”

Hunk stepped forward. “It’s just markings along my spine.” He pulled off his shirt to show Coran and Lance. They both gasped. “What?” Hunk asked. “Am I going to die?” He panicked.

“No!” Lance reassured him.

“Hunk, you’re a healer!” Coran cried. “You can save Shiro and he won’t be in danger anymore.”

“I’m a what-Oh!” The yellow paladin was once again being dragged down the halls. 

“Lance!” Coran called, “Grab the book about healers!”

“On it!”

Hunk rubbed his eyes with his one free hand. “Can someone please explain to me what’s going on?”

Lance ran to catch up with the group.

“According to this book here.” Lance scanned the pages as they jogged to Shiro’s. “There is a Healer- that’s you- in every species. They can take away pain for a while, and heal everything a person isn’t born with. Meaning they can’t stop death because everyone is born to die.  _ Anyways,  _ this means you can get rid of Shiro’s infection! And act as a human painkiller for Keith.”

Hunk just stared at Lance. “Okay, but how?”

Lance opened his mouth. “I don’t know. Coran?”

They were nearing Shiro’s room. “He just needs to envision the infection going away and the skin going back to normal. I don’t know about acting as a human painkiller though.”

Coran shoved Hunk into their leader’s room. “Quickly, before it spreads more.”

Hunk rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, sure.” They all stood watching him. “What do I do?”

Coran gently placed Hunk’s hands on Shiro’s back, earning a wince from the poor man. Hunk didn’t understand what he was suppose to do until he felt a pulsing beneath his fingertips. He concentrated more on it, feeling the infection slowly spread.

“I can feel the infection.” He said amazed.

“Good. Can you get it to stop spreading?” Coran asked.

“Maybe?”

“You got this bud.” Lance patted his best friend’s back. “I’m going to go check on Keith. When you’re done with Shiro, come get me okay?”

He nodded and continued his work on Shiro. 

_ Huh. So I stop it by thinking stop? Or just by holding it there? _ He felt a tugging in his gut. He closed his eyes and focused more on the tugging. Soon he felt the infection stop, but holding it there was difficult. He needed a more inside view of what was going on.

_ It needs an exit, it needs to go somewhere.  _ Suddenly he saw the details of Shiro’s arteries and veins. The infection was colored black against the many shades of red. There was an open vein next to Shiro’s left shoulder blade. 

_ Bingo. _ He smiled.

Taking the infection out was like play a game of mental tug-a-war. It took a few moments before Hunk got some of it exit through the vein, but once he managed that, the rest was easier. Soon he had the entire infection out on Shiro’s bareback. It was a gross, smelly, and a mess of yellow and red.

Pidge and Coran cleaned it up while Hunk worked on the broken skin. He fixed the open vein, and patched up the red bits. When he was done he sat down, exhaustion taking over.

Shiro was still asleep through it all so once the group finished they left him in peace. His fever was gone, the infection was kicked out, and now his back no longer looked like a scene from a horror movie. The only off putting thing about his back now, was the fact that two, white bones covered in a velvety gray, were poking out.

Coran and Pidge helped Hunk into his room so he could sleep. Coran told him to not worry about Keith since Lance was with him, and they had the paste. Hunk only yawned and flopped on his bed, not even bothering to change into his pj's. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally get one in Hunk's point of view! Woo! And Shiro'll be alright!   
> So my nephew failed the third test, but he's currently okay. I'm about to graduate, meaning that I'll have more time for updates! Thank you all for your patience, I know I went on a rather long hiatus, but there was so much going on at the time.   
> I'm thinking of making this a series, where you see them in action with their alien characteristics, but I wanna know if you guys are up for that. And as always, leave me a comment down below to let me know you thoughts on it! You guys keep me going ^_^


	8. Chapter 8

Lance collapsed in the bathroom once he closed the door. His sobs ripped at his throat as he tugged at his hair. He didn’t want to look Altean, he didn’t want to  _ be _ an Altean. The thoughts of going back home were daunting. He didn’t look like himself, he didn’t feel like himself.

He curled up, resting his head on his knees. 

His reflection was the only thing he could count on when it came to remembering his family. Being stuck in space for roughly a year, his memory of what his family looks like were slowly slipping away. The more he tried the more it felt like he was gripping sand. 

And now, he doesn’t even look human. He doesn’t look like his sisters or brother. The only thing he had were his eyes. But they looked more like his mother’s than his siblings. He was losing his identity, and with it, he was losing the image of his family.

He rested his head against the door.

_ I’m so tired. _ He sobbed.  _ I’m tired of this space war. Of the constant battle of life or death, even when we’re not out on missions. I’m sick of helping everyone out. Done with being the seventh wheel, the one that’s always forgotten, the one that pretends to be okay. _

He shook his head.

_ I need to stop being so selfish. Shiro almost died, Keith is growing a tail. _

He opened his eyes. _Keith!_ _I need to check up on him, otherwise I’ll be caught in my lie._

He shakily got up, ignoring his reflection in the mirrors that lined the wall. Lance wiped hastily at his tear tracks, and blew his nose. Once he decided he looked decent, he opened the door to Coran. 

“Lance, are you alright?” The ginger asked, concern deep in his voice.

Lance pulled the best smile he could. “Yeah. Just touching up on my looks, you know, gotta look pretty even when everything is in chaos.”

Coran placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “Lance, tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong.” Lance lied, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

_ Don’t cry, you idiot! You’ve got no right to break down, when the guy in front of you literally lost everything. He’s been working around the clock making sure Shiro and Keith are okay. You’ve got nothing to cry about compared to him. _

He shut his eyes, hoping that it would stop the tears threatening to fall. “I’m fine.” His voice cracked, causing him to cringed.

He felt warm arms pulling him into a hug. He hesitated before returning the hug.

“I know you’re not okay, Lance. It’s okay. You can let it all out, I won’t tell.”

Lance felt the hug tighten as he slowly let his tears fall until it became a full blown break down. “I’m so scared.” He cried.

Coran rubbed his back. “Of?”

He shook his head. “Of g-going back home. Of mmyself. What if- what if my family does-n’t recognize me? What if th-they don’t-don’t accept me?” He mentally cursed at himself for not speaking clearly, even though he was trying his best. “I don’t even-even recognize my-myself, Coran.” He hiccuped.

“My dear boy, you are still you. You are still the Lance we all love. Yes, your appearance has changed a bit, but  _ you _ as a person, has not. You’re still mostly human. Which means that your family is mostly human too.”

Lance wiped at his nose. “What?”

“Well, if genetics work in your species like it works in Alteans, your family has Altean blood too.”

Lance pulled away and used his sleeve to wipe at his snot. “Yeah, but”-He hiccuped- “I don’t look like them anymore.”

Coran smiled at the young man. “And that’s bad?”

“Yes!” He threw his hands in the air. “What if-if when we get back, and the government wants t-to do experiments on me? They’ll probably cut mme open and look at my organs!”

“But Lance.” He opened the door to the bathroom and pushed Lance in. “Look at yourself. You have an ancient civilization, a  _ dead _ civilization, in your blood.”

Lance glanced at his reflection, his dark blue Altean marks standing out.

“A civilization, we thought was gone forever.” Coran looked back at Lance. “But we now know that’s not true. There is nothing wrong with being a mix of Altean and human. Just like how there is nothing wrong with Keith being half Galra and human. He’s still Keith, is he not?”

Lance nodded.

“So what’s so bad about looking Altean?”

Lance looked back at his reflection. His hair was an ombre of wheat and brown. “I guess I just haven’t had enough time to think about that.”

“Yes. I am sorry that I’ve been running you around the clock with me. I often forget that you humans need more sleep. I’ll have Allura help me so you can go and rest.”

“But-”

“Nope.” Coran cut him off. “Go and sleep. Off with you now.”

Lance smiled at him. “Thank you, Coran.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously love that Coran has become the Space Uncle. He's seems to be the only one who tries to help Lance in the show (even if it's not the best, he tries) so I thought why not add it in.   
> Let me know your thoughts on this chapter! I appreciate comments and it's through them that I keep on going. I also graduate next week and I'm excited to PARTY with my little family.   
> I currently have no ideas what the next chapter will be about, so if you want you can leave a suggest down below!


	9. Chapter 9

Keith withered in pain. The paste did nothing to ease the burning sensation focused around his lower back. It sent waves of pain up and down his spine, trailing to his hips, causing his thighs extreme amounts of pain. 

_ Breath. _ He told himself.  _ Just focus on breathing. _

He curled up tighter, crying out as a new wave of fire hit him. 

_ Why does everything hurt so much? _ He cursed at himself.  _ Why does Shiro make bearing pain look so easy? _ He uncurled, attempting to do what he could to ease the pain. Nothing worked.

And he felt hot, unbearably so. When Lance stopped by roughly one varga ago, he had been freezing. But now it was like he was back out in the desert, baking under the sun.

He thrashed around again, this time, he screamed out in agony. Tears pricked his eyes as he tried to push himself up. 

_ Why wasn’t the paste working?  _ He thought as more fire consumed his midsection.

“Goddamnit!” He pounded the bed with a tight fist, tears falling onto the soft sheet.

He tentatively brushed the bulging bump with his fingertips, crying out as he did so. The skin was hot, dry, and cracked, and when he pulled his hand back he could see small smears of blood on them.

The tail was close to breaking through his skin, yet he wasn’t sure if he could hold out any longer. Perhaps some help was needed.

Keith shook his head, trying to clear it of pain.  _ It was close. What if…? _

He blindly reached around his bed for his luxite blade. He seriously couldn’t stand the pain anymore.  _ Fuck patience.  _ He thought as his hand grasped the hilt of the blade.

Keith unsheath it, his reflection staring back at him. He was pale, and sweat was beading down his forehead, torment etched into his features. 

He slowly prodded his back with the bottom of his palm. Once he found the agonizing  lump he moved the blade in his hand to where he could easily swipe it across, freeing the growth.

Keith didn’t hesitate. A scream left his lips as he felt warmth slowly pool on his lower back. The burning sensation was mostly gone, but now he had to deal with the self inflicted wound. 

And he was certain that in his thrashing his communicator fell off the bed. 

He really needs to think things through.

Ten minutes passed by and Keith would give anything for someone to walk in. Hell, it could be Lance and he’d cry tears of joy.

But since no one was coming he gritted his teeth and forced himself to sit up. Ignoring the blood running down his spine, he grabbed the blanket and tied it around himself, hoping that it provided enough pressure to slow the bleeding.

And with that, he left his room, relying heavily on the castle's walls during his trek.

 

Keith heard voices up ahead. “H-help.” He wheezed, pain flaring up in his lungs. He pounded his fist against the wall. “Help!” He yelled, hoping that it was loud enough to be heard.

The voices stopped and Keith picked up the sound of feet pounding on the floors.

“Keith?” Lance turned the corner and saw his fellow teammate up against the wall, paler than a vampire. “ _ Keith _ .”

Keith saw Coran behind Lance and gave a sigh of relief. 

When Lance caught up he pulled Keith’s arm over his shoulders without much thought. “ _ Estupido puta. _ ” He said as he saw the blood trail. He helped Coran haul Keith to the med bay. 

“Lance,” Coran got the Cuban’s attention after a few moments. “Go and rest. I’ve got him.”

Lance glance between the two, but gave a small nod. He gave the burden that is Keith, fully over to Coran.

“Care to explain why you’re leaving a trail of blood all over the freshly cleaned floors?” Coran asked as he picked up the pace.

The younger boy groaned. “I didn’t want to wait for the tail to break through…. So I cut it open.”

Coran slowly turned his head to stare at the boy. His expression screamed, ‘this- fucking- child.’ “Keith, the reason why the tail has to break through is because the skin will act as a barrier to protect the incision from infections.” They started walking again. “And it also acts as a guide for the bone to grow. And now that you’ve cut it open, your tail may not grow in correctly.”

All Keith said was, “Shit.”

“Shit indeed.” Coran confirmed. “We’ll have to stitch it back up and shove you in a pod. Quiznak, I hope you don’t have a fever.”

“And what if I do?” Keith hesitantly asked. 

“Then you’re going to quiznaking suffer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got too excited about this one, so instead of waiting until morning, I decided to YOLO it and post it now.  
> Also, Coran has a breaking point too XD He can only handle so much.  
> I'm ashamed to say that that's the only Spanish I know even though I'm Mexican. Gotta love 'Merica for culture washing.  
> And it is three minutes til midnight, so if there are any spelling errors, let me know.


	10. Chapter 10

Keith shouted in frustration. “Coran, are you sure you can’t give me- ow- anything for the- fuck- stitches?” 

“I could. But right now, we need to fix this up as fast as we can, and quite frankly, I don’t feel like it.”

Keith angrily bit the white rag he was given. He took note that Coran was taking his time stitching him back up. He couldn’t blame him though. What he did was rather stupid on his part. 

When Coran was done he bandaged Keith up. “Alright, time for an ice bath.”

“Wait, what?” He sat up, panic crawling in his chest.

“Keith, you have a fever. We need to get rid of that so we can put you in a pod so your tail will grow in correctly.”

He let out a low whine.

 

The ice bath wasn’t so bad. At least, for most of Keith’s body. His privates felt like they were dunked in the Arctic ocean and encased in an iceberg. He was sure a piece of ice was actually stuck to it.

He sighed. At least his fever will go down and he can put all of this in the past.

He sunk in lower, the ice coming up to his chin.  _ I wonder what my tail would look like. Would it be fluffy? I hope not, Lance would never let me hear the end of it. A sleek one would be nice to have. _

His eyes widened.  _ How do I maintain a tail? Do I just take a regular shower or do I have to actually wash it? What if I get space fleas? Are space fleas even a thing? _

Keith grumbled and sat up.  _ This means I’ll have to cut small holes in my pants and suits for it to fit through. The Blades already had to make me a special suit because I’m tiny compared to them.  _ He rested the back of his head on the edge of the tub.

_ I wonder if I’ll be able to always land on my feet now. That would be nice for battle, I wouldn’t have to worry about fall damage as much. _

There came a knock on the door. “Keith? I’m going to take your temperature, so make sure you’re decently covered.”

Keith looked down at the ice, piled on top of his boxers. He quite enjoyed the thought of having a functioning reproductive organ, so he kept the underwear on to protect them.

It didn’t feel like much.

Coran walked in and did another body scan on Keith. He informed the boy that his body temperature was low enough for the pods to take care of. Upon hearing that, Keith got up and put on a cryopod suit, noting a small hole in the back for his stump.

 

Sudden warm air hit Keith’s tired body as he fell forward.

“Woah, don’t want you getting injured there.”

Keith opened his eyes. “Shiro?” He blinked, eyes adjusting to the light. He smiled as he saw his brother’s face.

“How are you feeling?” Shiro asked as he steadied Keith.

“Like my balls have been frozen, thawed, and frozen again.”

“Other than that.”

Keith put his hands behind his back, slowly feeling where the bump used to be. His fingers touched something furry. Keith whipped his head back and saw a small stump of a fluffy, white tail. 

“Looks like it’s grown in correctly.” Coran spoke, causing Keith to jump. 

Shiro looked skeptically at it. “Coran, it’s a bit short, you said it would be longer.”

“It’ll take time. The color still has yet to come, but it should by the end of the day.”

Keith growled. “Stop looking at my tail!”

 

At the end of the day, Keith’s tail turned a light brown with a darker red/brown undertone. It was still short but Coran reassured him that it would take a few days for it complete the transformation.

He took notice that Shiro’s wings were looking better. Sure, it looked like two bones were sticking out, but he didn’t seem to care. Or notice for that matter. So Keith just left it, not bothering to bring it up.

To him, Lance still looked the same, just with Altean marks and different hair. Hunk and Pidge didn’t appear to have anything alien, but he took their word when they said they have alien characteristics as well.

It was good for Keith to get away from the Blades for a while. He and team Voltron sat at the dinner table, telling stories of missions and everyday ‘adventures’ in the castle.

Keith wondered how he ever managed to leave the team in the first place. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Things keep happening in the family, money's tight, kids are sick, hospital stays, graduations, and play dates. I've had this in my head for so long that I just never got the time to type it. So I did this during my son's nap, so if there are any mistakes, please let me know so I can fix them!  
> I want to hear your thoughts of what you guys thought Keith's tail was going to look like! Along with Shiro's wings ^_^ I'll provide more details of them in the next, but right now I wanna hear your thoughts and ideas.  
> Again, sorry for the long wait. Things have been crazy and updating this is low on my list of things to do.
> 
> Edit- Hey guys, so I decided to cut it off here. I'll turn this into a three part series where you see Keith and Shiro learn how to use their new parts, and how they use them in battle. You'll more of Hunks and Pidge's abilities in them too, so keep a look out for them ^_^   
> Thanks for getting this far with me, I know I took a while to update after the whole thing with my nephew, but that was because I was still in shock of it all and didn't want to write at all. But I did anyways because I know a few of you look forward to this!


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